


Atonement

by Darkflamej



Series: Heritage of a Blade [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Death, Taboo, Violence, clone culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27606806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkflamej/pseuds/Darkflamej
Summary: Echo broke the taboo, Echo stole a first kiss without permission. Rex is the Captain of Torrent Company, responsible for holding all of his men to higher standards. He has always said that he would protect his men from any threat. After returning from a mission, Rex finds out what Echo has done. He intends to hold Echo accountable and no formal scolding or paperwork will do. It is up to Rex to punish Echo.This is a missing scene from Beauty in a Bullet's shell, placed between chapter 50 and 51. It will likely not make sense if you haven't read the series.
Series: Heritage of a Blade [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018372
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16
Collections: Captain Rex Stuff, Echo&Fives





	Atonement

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a warning this is a violent chapter and there are mentions of death and killing. If that makes you uncomfortable please don't read. As stated in the summary this is placed between chapter 50 and 51 of Beauty in a Bullet's Shell, it didn't quite fit into the flow of everything but I had to write it anyway.

Rex watched as Dagger and Kix made their way off of the small ship and into the belly of the Resolute. He sent them off to the mess hall with a tight smile. If they noticed his change in attitude from earlier they didn’t mention it. 

His vod, Dagger, had something taken away from her. Something that she had not consented to giving. Rex had a  _ chakaaryc _ within his ranks. He could not tolerate that. He knew exactly who had done it and there would not be leniency this time.

Echo could be getting a hell of a lot more than just a bruise on his jaw. If he let this go, then everyone would think that it was ok to ignore the rules. Think that Rex accepted that type of behavior. Even if it was an unofficial rule, it was one of the most important. Consent, in a world that took most of it away from them, was important. It was imperative that everyone trusted their vod, that they were not afraid. He had to protect all of his men, and if that meant making an example of Echo then so be it. 

Rex had not so subtly told his General and Commander to stay away from the barracks today. Ahsoka had given him a questioning look which he did not grace with an answer.

As he disembarked he gave a comment to Dagger specifically and sent her on her way to the mess hall. She would see the aftermath later, but she did not need to be there while he took care of Echo. He wouldn’t kill Echo, not for a kiss, but to say that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind would be a lie. 

Echo would pay dearly for what he had done to Dagger. Even if the soldier herself brushed it off as insignificant, Rex knew better. He knew exactly what a first kiss meant. He also knew that Dagger’s sense of what was bad or worse was vastly skewed due to the abuse that she suffered in her younger years.

Once he was sure that Dagger was not following him to the barracks he finalized his approach to the room. Kix had followed Dagger, but Fives was still following Rex. He hoped that the ARC wouldn’t get in his way and try to protect his ori’vod from Rex. The Captain doubted that the ARC even knew what had happened, he would soon find out. They all would.

Rex burst through the doors, his frame filling the doorway as he surveyed the room. It wasn’t an uncommon sight for Rex to enter the barracks, but for Rex to burst in while still in full armor was enough to give a few troopers a reason to look up.

They had even more reason to watch as he stalked through the room. His footfalls silent as he made his way through the maze of bunks. His helmeted head scanned the crowd, a silence fell over them one by one. Sentences cut off in the middle of a thought as the Captain moved through the room. 

The way his shoulders were held high, the smooth gait, it all spoke of danger and no one was quite willing to speak up in fear that they would incur the wrath of the Captain. He moved like a predator on a hunt.

One soldier had not noticed the Captain, or the rising tension in the room. He sat up from the bunk he had been lounging on in the middle of the room and called, “Fives! You’re back!”

Rex’s head snapped to the side as he finally laid eyes on the man that he had been searching for. Echo had been far from his own bunk and it had taken him speaking up to find him. Fives let out a small breath as the Captain locked eyes on his vod. He had obviously been looking for someone and Fives pitied the poor soul.

The reaction told Fives that Rex had just found who he was looking for and he didn’t even have time to move before Rex lunged forward. 

He moved towards Echo with a shocking speed and ferocity, something that was not often seen off of the battlefield. He tackled Echo off of the bunk and onto the ground. Echo cried out in pain as his unarmored back collided with the floor. 

Rex held him down with a tight grip to his neck and sent his fist hurtling into his face. Echo seemed to war with himself, one hand tried to block the hits raining down on him while the other clawed at the hand on his throat. 

Almost as soon as they had been down they were up again. Rex yanked Echo up with a tight grip on his hair, too long, he should have gotten a haircut. Echo’s hands flew to his head as he felt his hair being torn from his scalp at the movement. 

Rex spun and sent Echo flying across the bunk and into the wall. There were people shouting, brothers shouting at them. No one was brave enough to step up, no one was willing to get in the Captain’s way. Good. 

The confusion was palpable in the air. Rex had never taken out anger on one of his men. He had never been one to get back from a mission and use a vod as a stress reliever in the form of a human punching bag. No one knew what the Captain was doing, why he was attacking Echo. He hadn’t spoken a word. Yet.

He stalked forward again and Echo flinched away from him. He held up his hands and started to say something. Rex cut him off with a knee to the chest. The ARC let out a pained yelp and Rex slammed him back into the wall. 

His muscles flexed under his armor as he lifted Echo to his feet and pinned him back. Echo gasped, “Captain! What are you doing?”

“You should know,” Rex growled.

“I didn’t do anything to you,” Echo whined, hands clawing at Rex, trying to get free.

Rex actually snarled at that statement, “Not to me. But you certainly did something Echo. Thief!”

Echo’s eyes went wide, Rex knew. Rex wasn’t supposed to know. Dagger herself had made him promise not to tell Rex. How did Rex know? 

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out what you did?”

“Rex, I-” he started to protest. To say anything to calm the Captain. His efforts only seemed to make him angrier.

The blond shoved Echo back, pinning his head with a hand around his neck and the other tugging painfully on his hair, “Did you or did you not steal a first kiss?”

There was a collective inhale from the crowd behind Rex. Echo’s eyes darted around the room, not even Fives would help him this time. The ARC was waiting for his answer.

Echo closed his eyes and nodded once. Rex’s grip tightened around his throat, lifting him up until Echo was barely able to touch the ground with his toes and he choked as Rex spoke, “Did you have consent before you took Dagger’s first kiss?”

“I was trying to help. Dagger wasn’t wearing a helmet. Could have been seen! I was trying to help! REX!” 

“ANSWER THE QUESTION” Rex roared in his face. If Echo had any room to flinch back he would have, but he didn’t.

“No,” Echo’s voice was small but everyone in the room heard it. Lips curled up in matching snarls and anger rose in the rest of them. The baby of the unit, Dagger, had his first kiss stolen by his best friend. By an ori’vod, someone who was supposed to protect him.

Jesse was the first to step forward, but before he could even make it two paces Rex held up his hand. He looked menacingly over his shoulder, “Hold. He’s mine.”

Echo let out a small noise of fear, “Rex, Captain, please.”

“You aren’t getting out of this Echo. You broke the rule, you know the consequences,” Rex growled.

What he didn’t realize was that Echo wasn’t begging for mercy. The ARC looked up at him, eyes shining with conflict, “Please make me pay for it. I can’t take his guilt anymore, Captain, please. Captain, I- Please.”

Rex’s eyes narrowed, the statement was enough to give him pause. Good, they had finally reached an understanding. Even if it was twisted and wrong in so many ways. No one was going to challenge Rex anyway. He had never lost a match to any of them, ever. Now he was hopped up on post mission adrenaline and steam rolling into an ass kicking for one. No one wanted to be Echo right now, except for Echo.

He wanted the punishment. An atonement for the sin that he had committed against Dagger. Anger boiled inside of Rex. Now he had all of the pieces of the puzzle. He had reason, he had cause, and he had permission. He didn’t care about the last one but it was one less thing to make him stop.

Rex readjusted his grip on Echo, holding him by the collar of his shirt and threw him again. Echo went flying and let out a shout of shock. He was by no means a small man and Rex had just thrown him like a rag doll. The amount of strength that it took to do that was more than he had calculated that Rex had.

Echo yelped as he scrambled to his feet. He had severely miscalculated. He knew Rex was strong, he didn’t realize that he was that strong. The man stalked towards him as Echo went to get up.

Rex sent a harsh punch to his face that sent Echo sprawling on the ground again. He caught himself on his hands as his face pulsed with pain. He felt himself being pulled up again, but this time by the back of his shirt. 

He was shoved forward into the metal frame of the bed and his shoulder connected painfully. He gripped the beam tightly to keep himself from falling again. He turned, right hand still holding on, to face Rex.

The look in his Captain’s eyes scared him. Anger that was only reserved for enemies. Echo had made himself the enemy. He was a threat to the unit, he had mistreated his vod.

Rex continued his assault on Echo, moving forward with every blow that forced Echo back. The onlookers parted from where they were crowded. They didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire of the Captain’s attack.

Echo’s cries of pain fell on deaf ears. There was no one here that was going to help him. He expected that, he didn’t want their help. Every bruise, every ounce of pain was his punishment for what he did to Dagger. It was soothing in a sick way.

Echo knew that what he did was wrong. Rex was his Captain, he would hold Echo responsible. He would do what Dagger refused to do, he would do what Kix had stopped Cobalt from doing. He had the responsibility and he took action to make sure Echo got what he deserved.

The ARC had never considered himself a masochist, but the way that every punch felt like a blessing was starting to change that notion. The way he could feel his capillaries burst under his skin, the way that he felt pain lance through him, the way that he heard his cries being torn from his throat. It was his penance and he never wanted it to end. If this was hell, then maybe he deserved to be here.

Echo lost track of time, all that mattered was the pain. All that mattered was him and Rex. He cried out as his knees buckled after the continued assault. He crashed to the ground and could hear his blood rushing through his ears. 

He could hear Rex pant above him. Tears of pain streamed unwanted down his face. Echo was not weak, his arms just weren’t working to push himself back up anymore. He laid sprawled on the floor, trying to get up, but he couldn’t move.

“GET UP!” Rex yelled at him. The way that his voice broke told them all that this was taking a toll on him as well. He hated hurting his brother. He hated this, there was no joy in what he was doing.

Echo whimpered on the ground. His arms shook, but wouldn’t support his weight. His chest burned and he could feel his ribs shift where they might be broken. He could feel Rex watching him.

“Get up,” Rex’s voice was softer this time. Emotion dripped off the words, so desperate it was almost a plea for Echo to get back up. Desperate to know that he hadn’t gone too far, he needed reassurance that Echo  _ could _ get back up.

Echo’s breath came in harsh puffs as he laid on the ground and flinched as he heard Rex kneel in front of him. His knee armor slammed into the ground with a harsh clack as he dropped down in front of Echo. All the ARC could manage was moving his eyes to look up at the Captain.

He caught the distraught look on his face and was confused, why did Rex look like that. Why did he look guilty? It was Echo that should be guilty, not Rex. He was just doing his job, his duty.

This time when his hand came near Echo it was not in a fist, instead he extended an open palm. He slid his hand under Echo’s head to lift him off of the hard floor. The gesture was gentle and even after everything that had just happened that was the thing that broke Echo.

He broke down into a mess of sobs. He gasped as hot tears streamed down his face. He had no control of his breathing at this point. Echo was limp as Rex gently pulled him up off the floor. 

He gathered Echo into his arms and held him tightly without hurting him any further. He dutifully ignored the tears that were falling from his own eyes, his helmet had been torn off long ago. He ignored the way that Echo trembled and the way that he held him just a bit tighter.

Rex held the back of Echo’s head as he cradled his face against his shoulder. He gently ran his fingers over his hair and he whispered in hushed tones, “It’s over now Echo. It’s over. I’m sorry, I’m sorry Echo.”

Echo sobbed again. He held onto Rex tightly, fingers gripping at the grooves of the older man’s armor. His throat felt hoarse and it took a few tries to get enough air in his lungs to speak, “Captain.”

He petted his hair again, trying to show him that he didn’t have to speak, “Shhhh, Echo you don’t have to say anything. I’m sorry.”

“Captain, please. Just kill me,” Echo sobbed out. Rex fell deadly silent, no one in the room moved. The only sound that could be heard was Echo sobbing into Rex’s shoulder, clawing for any sort of comfort that he could find.

Rex hugged him tightly, “No. Echo don’t say things like that. I’m sorry for hurting you. You don’t deserve what I did to you, not that much. You don’t deserve to die. Never that, never. I’m sorry Echo.”

The sound that Echo made was inhumane. A strangled cry, filled with pain and torment. Rex just held him as tremors wrecked his body. He would not let his vod go. Not like this, not after he had been the one to do it to him.

“I’m sorry Echo, I’m so sorry,” Rex kept mumbling into the younger man's hair. Guilt clawed at Rex’s heart. He knew that he was the one who had done this, it is what he had intended after all. There was no excuse, there was no getting away from the guilt.

Rex hated himself for what he had done. He knew that it had to happen but his brain kept replaying the way that Echo whimpered in pain, the way that he asked Rex to kill him. Those words would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He had a million different outcomes running through his head. What if he had gone too far? Had he already done too much? Why couldn’t he have done less? He shouldn’t have hurt Echo that bad, shouldn’t have done it at all.

Rex felt a hand fall on his unoccupied shoulder, he looked up and saw Fives standing there. He had a pitying look on his face, Rex couldn’t tell if it was for him or for Echo.

“Let me take him, Captain,” he said.

Rex looked back to Echo, checking in on the crying man, “Hey kid, you want to go with Fives?”

Echo let out a cry that was a bit louder than the last and held on tightly to Rex. He shook his head furiously and Rex had to lean his head back to avoid a collision with Echo’s already injured face. 

“I think that is going to be a no Fives,” he said to the Arc before talking to Echo, “It’s ok Echo. You can stay here, but we are going to move to a bunk ok. We can’t stay on the floor.”

Echo nodded, still trying to catch his breath from his outburst. There were so many emotions going through him that he could barely register Rex moving from where he was supporting Echo. 

He did feel it when he was lifted off the ground. His chest protested the movement and his head swam at the sharp pain. He clung to Rex as he, a full grown man, was lifted into his Captain’s arms. 

Stars, Echo was so fucked. His head couldn’t keep anything straight. He felt good getting hit earlier. Now he wanted comfort from the one person who had just hurt him. He knew that he should want to be as far away from Rex right now. 

He knew that he should be trying to get away, but the thought of separating from him was unimaginable. The only form of comfort or any sensation he wanted right now could only come from Rex. Just the thought of being taken from him by Fives had sent his skin into a tingling mess. 

He was oversensitized and in pain, he really couldn’t blame himself for the odd way his brain was behaving. He just wanted to be safe. Rex would keep him safe, even if it was from himself. Rex had given him what he needed and Echo trusted that he would continue to do so.

The ass kicking of a lifetime to make up for the horrendous mistake that Echo had made. Rex had given him what no one else had been willing to. He was the protector of Torrent. He protected Dagger’s honor from Echo and now as he carried the ARC trooper, he was protecting him as well.

Echo never doubted Rex’s integrity or honor. He trusted the man more than himself to make the right decision. A blind loyalty that Echo did not give to many people. But Rex? Echo would follow Rex into hell and beyond without missing a step.

He felt himself being lowered and grabbed onto Rex tighter as he felt the bed under him. The man shushed him gently as he sat Echo on the side of the bed. He gave Echo a quick check over. Aside from the extensive bruising and cuts of his face there wasn’t anything majorly wrong with Echo. 

Echo looked up at Rex like he had just been saved, “Thank you Rex.”

Rex stood in front of Echo, but he looked away. He couldn’t bear to look at what he had done to his vod, “Don’t thank me Echo. I’m sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have done that to you. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I did, but now I don’t any more because you took care of it. You took care of me.”

Rex clenched his fists and then released them. He was such an awful Captain, he couldn’t believe what he had done to one of his own men. He was so awful to Echo. His stomach felt sick at seeing the bruises that he had inflicted in his calculated rage. He couldn’t even blame it on blind emotion, he had known exactly what he was doing the entire time.

He had sat Echo down on his own bunk, he hadn’t wanted to climb the ladder to Echo’s while carrying the man. He turned to give Echo some space, “Lay down Echo. It’s over now.”

Echo made a small noise of protest, hand latching onto Rex, “Don’t leave me. Please.”

The young man looked so small and scared. Rex knew that he wouldn’t be able to say no, so he took off his armor and slid onto the bed next to Echo. He helped him lay back slowly in an attempt to not aggravate any of his injuries. Rex could have sworn that Echo was asleep before his head even landed on Rex’s thigh.

His body was devoid of all tension, a limp noodle on the bed. He had so much trust that Rex would keep him safe that he had passed out almost instantly in his bed. The inherent trust made Rex’s heart crack, what had he done to deserve that sort of reaction from Echo?

He brushed his fingers over his top floof of hair. Echo let out a deep breath and Rex mapped all of the bruises on his face. He sat against the wall and pulled Echo’s head up to rest higher on his thigh. He continued to play with his hair being as gentle as possible. 

He frowned at his own hand, knuckles were split and covered in blood, his own and Echo’s. He had been so violent and it sent chills through Rex. The things that he was willing to do for his vod were extensive. 

This time was different, this time it had been for Dagger. Rex realized not for the first time that he would do anything for her. The difference of this realization was that he would even hurt vod for her. She hadn’t asked him to do it, she had specifically told him not to, but he had anyway. He flexed his hand, cuts stinging at the strain. Maybe both he and Echo were screwed in the head.

Sometimes Rex wished that he could just be a regular clone, not a Captain. Did all officers have to deal with things like this or was that just Rex? He contemplated his own motives for a long time.

Was it all worth it? Which promise of protection was more important? He had always promised to protect all of his men, and he had also promised to protect Dagger. It had never even occurred to him that those two things might contradict one day.

It had and Rex made his choice. He had his priorities and it was clear who had come out on top. His stomach rolled, he had done this. He had abused his power as Captain and dishonored his station as vod.

He swiped angrily at the hot tears that streaked down his face. He didn’t deserve to cry, not after what he had done. Just like Echo, he deserved to suffer.

Rex wished that Echo would have fought back, but throughout the entire thing he had never once tried to retaliate. He had just let Rex hurt him, he had asked for more. Rex shivered, he would need to have a longer talk with Echo later. He needed his vod to know that it would never happen again. He needed to know that Rex was sorry and that he was safe. 

Rex was still conflicted on what he should have done. Punishment for breaking the taboo had been needed. He had heard rumors of far worse happening, it was chilling to know that he had even participated in such an act. 

He resigned himself to silence as he realized it didn’t matter what he should have done. Everything was over now with no way to change it. The only thing he could worry about now was what would come next. Rex would make it up to Echo and this time he would protect him.

**Author's Note:**

> I know writing this chapter made me emotional, leave a comment to let me know what you thought. Also if there are any other missing scenes you would like to see from the series let me know and I can try to write those as well.


End file.
